Traffic Light

November of 1977. The debut compact pedals produced by BOSS was called (by their staff) the "Traffic Light Series".

BOSS SP-1The SP-1 has attained cult status among BOSS enthusiasts. Simply put, the SP-1 is a single-band parametric equalizer with two knobs. The first, Spectrum, enables continuously variable setting of a frequency in the range of 500Hz to 5kHz, and the second, Balance, sets the peak of that frequency. When it first came out, the SP-1 was mainly a hit with bassists, but naturally guitarrists also used it to create subtly nuanced sounds, such as the fixed wah pedal sound of Michael Schenker. (this text was taken from "The BOSS Book")

The SP-1 was sold from November 1977 to November 1981.

BOSS OD-1The first BOSS pedal was the revolutionary Over Drive. From the beginning, the OD-1 was a masterpiece. It grabbed the limelight as an essential piece of gear for adding fat, powerful gain to large stack amps. BOSS's unique "asymmetrical overdrive circuit" creates distortion with a distinctive, crisp sound, and the richly-nuanced tone of an overdriven tube amp. The OD-1 accurately reproduces the subtleties of picking and fingering. It was a key player in the L.A. metal scene of the mid 80's and still enjoys a formidable reputation as a legendary BOSS pedal. (this text was taken from "The BOSS Book")

The OD-1 was sold from November 1977 to July 1985.

BOSS PH-1 The PH-1 debuted together with the OD-1 and the SP-1 in the first BOSS product line. At BOSS, the staff playfully called this the "Traffic Light Series". Electronically, the PH-1 ads a sense of speed and surge by varying the phase of the original signal with a phase-shifting circuit. Since the phase effect can be freely adjusted from an ultra-low speed of 16 sec to a high speed of 100 msec, the PH-1 can handle a range of settings for sharp rhythm accentuation, soft arpeggios or jet sounds in combination with distortion. (this text was taken from "The BOSS Book")